Driver killed after thrown rock smashes windshield, cops say. A friend found her dead
A woman was talking on the phone with her friend during a late-night drive in Colorado when the line suddenly went silent, cops say.
It was no ordinary car crash that killed 20–year-old Alexa Bartell. Someone hurled a large rock through the windshield of her yellow Chevy Spark, officials said.
Officials are looking for whoever is responsible for throwing the rock, possibly from another car or from the side of the road, as Bartell drove north near the 10600 block of Indiana St. in Jefferson County around 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, officials said in a news release.
The desolate area is about 15 miles northwest of Denver, between the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and the Great Western Reservoir in the Colorado Hills Open Space.
After the line went silent, Bartell’s friend tracked her phone and drove to the remote area of Indiana Street, officials said in the release. She found Bartell’s body inside the car, which had veered into the field off the roadway.
Police believe she was just one of the victims in a string of late–night crimes, the release said. Four of the rock strikes, including the one that killed Bartell, occurred between 10 and 11 p.m. in Westminster, Boulder County and Jefferson County. The fifth occurred just before 12:30 a.m. in Arvada.
The timeline is as follows:
10:04 p.m. – Westminster – rock through windshield – driver not injured.
10:36 p.m. – Boulder County – rock through windshield – minor injuries to driver.
10:37 p.m. – Boulder County – rock vs. Toyota 4-Runner – body damage to the car, driver uninjured
10:45 p.m. – Jefferson County – rock through windshield of yellow Chevy Spark – homicide
April 20 at 12:24 a.m. – Arvada – rock through windshield – minor injuries to driver
Jefferson County sheriff officials have teamed up with Boulder County sheriff officials, Arvada Police and Westminster Police. They believe there may be more victims and want to hear from them, officials said in the release.
Officials are asking anyone who was in these areas around these times, or who may have witnessed anything related to these attacks, to call the JCSO tip line at 303-271-5612.
Because Tesla cars “constantly record activity” while driving, those who own a Tesla should check their car’s systems for footage that might provide evidence of the crime spree, officials said in an April 21 Facebook post.
“No piece of information is insignificant,” officials said in the release. “If you have home security or dash cameras that may have caught the vehicle driving by, we want to hear from you.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2023 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Driver killed after thrown rock smashes windshield, cops say. A friend found her dead."
